


Déjà vu

by lostbecoz



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Character Death, F/F, It ain't over tho, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-21 01:23:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13730139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostbecoz/pseuds/lostbecoz
Summary: "How did you get here?" prompted Nicole.The brunette shrugged. “My research has always been impeccable.”Nicole stepped back as realization washed over her. "You came back to stop the ambush."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing a fic and I'm not a native speaker, so I'm sorry if it's a little (or a lot) rough around the edges.

_Waverly felt her lungs constrict with cold, and everything just blended together after that._

_It was just after dawn, but not light enough for Waverly to see what lay ahead. She leapt out of the car and ran toward the tiny knot of people a few meters away._

_It just blended together._

_Wynonna trying to slow her down, her eyes frantic. Waverly remembered the dark stains on her jeans and the unmistakable metallic scent of blood. She remembered looking at the car, illuminated golden with the lights of the truck she had hastily abandoned. The cab was covered in shattered glass and there were people on the other side of it. Doc, hat in hand walked next to the wreck, shifting his path every few steps to avoid stepping in the blood._

_To avoid stepping in the blood._

_She turned, meeting her big sisters gaze._

_“Wave..” Wynonna’s voice broke. “I think they caught her by surprise.”_

**

Nicole had a bad feeling about this.

Something wasn’t right. She couldn’t get herself settle.

She was bone-tired, but couldn’t get herself to drift off. Usually thinking of Waverly helped her relax, but this time, it only elicited a vague pang in her stomach.

She rose, swinging her legs off the bed, the cheap matress groaning as she rose.  She looked around her room, trying to shake the trapped feeling that was rising in her chest. 

She made her way to the room’s window. It had stopped snowing, and Nicole felt her ears lightly ringing against the quiet that usually settles after.  She knew it was too dark to get a good visual, so instead she relied on her other senses.

She listened.

Rustling. Footsteps muffled by the snow.

Then a soft crunch in the gravel.

No one in their right mind would be out on foot in this weather.

She cursed herself for going against her better judgement and renting a room. With only one way in and out, there was nowhere for her to go. She looked around, quickly formulating a plan. She tucked her two limp pillows under the covers forming a human sized lump the best she could.

Grabbing her flashlight and holster, she quietly made her way to the bathroom. Hopefully the element of surprise would work to her advantage. 

Her pulse quickened as she heard soft footsteps approach the door. The room darkened slightly as the figure lingered on the other side.

Nicole tightened the grip on her gun.

After a moment of silence, she heard the lock turn softly. _Shit they have a key._

She expected a large group come bursting in the door.

Instead there was a solitary figure. She ducked back into the darkness of the bathroom as she heard someone approaching the bed.

When she knew the figure would be turned away from her, she came out of her spot, gun drawn.

“Hands where I can see them, asshole!” Nicole cried. “I’ve had a long day, and I’m really not in the mood.”

She saw hands raised to the side. There was a long tense silence, as Nicole prepared for a fight.

However the voice that spoke was achingly familiar.  "Don’t shoot, baby! It's just me."

"Waverly?" Still, Nicole did not relax her guard. A dark timbre of her girlfriend’s voice triggered her sense of danger.

Nicole waited as the figure turned. It was unmistakably Waverley. But her clothes set off alarms in Nicole’s brain. She could see she was wearing not her normal boots, but dark snow boots and a well-worn holster hanging comfortably low over her right hip . She was carrying a heavy backpack.

“What’re you doing here?”

“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

But as she drew closer still, and Nicole drew back, surprised. Even in the soft light in the room, she could trace the faint lines of age on the face before her. She stared into the woman's eyes and saw a glint that had never been there before.

"You're not Waverly. Where is she?"

She eyed the gun pointed at her chest.

 “I need to listen, okay? It _is_ me.” She said carefully.  “Look, I’m taking my gun out and giving it to you.” she said. “I’ll do it slow.”

On getting no response she kept her left hand raised as she drew the weapon and quickly put it on the floor and kicked it out of reach. “There.”

Nicole eyed the gun on the floor, but did not lower her own.

 “You know, I thought about it.. What would make you believe me.” Waverly whispered.

In a slow, deliberate motion, she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a ring strung on a fine gold chain. She held out her open palm. “Here.”

Nicole looked at what the shorter woman was holding. A familiar blue stoned ring sparkled. It looked well looked after, but still scratched up and worn than its twin sitting on the nightstand behind her.  

 “What is this?” Nicole whispered. “If you’re.. Where’s Waverly?”

"Don't worry, she's safe, she’s with Wynonna. Everything is going according to plan. The ledger you dropped off gets to where we want it. All your hard work today is going to pay off."

Hazel eyes grew distant.

"Yes, everything went exactly according to plan.” She added softly, almost to herself. She took off her jacket and hung it on a chair nearby. Almost on instinct, she slipped the chain back on and tucked it under her shirt.

“They made their way to the rendezvous point and waited. Waverly waited until sundown until she couldn’t any longer. Dolls wanted to wait until dawn. But seeing Waverly was going to leave one way or another, Doc and Wynonna packed and decided to go with her.”

She drew closer again. "Aren't you tired of pointing that gun at me?"

After a moment's consideration, Nicole relented and lowered her weapon.

"I asked you a question."

Nicole saw the steely grey had turned turbulent. "So they looked for Nicole at this motel and found the room empty. Then they looked for her along the route she was supposed to take on the way back. They looked for hours. But still no Nicole. Finally, it was just after dawn. They found the car, abandoned on back road. It was an ambush.” Nicole felt the shorter woman’s gaze turned inwards. “There was blood everywhere.” She said softly. “That’s how she found you… Handcuffed, and slumped in the snow."

Nicole felt queasy. "I’m not a big fan of this story."

The grey storm turned to flint. "Me neither."

Nicole regarded the woman in front of her more closely. She noted the familiar corded muscles on the woman's arms and now that she had taken her parka off, it revealed a torso that was equally muscled. She was the same height as Waverly, even the shape of her body was the same, but she was wiry and compact.

When she lifted her gaze, she found Waverly looking at her. There was a shy smile on her lips again, which was tinged with sadness. Nicole caught her breath at the sharp sense of recognition that the smile evoked. _Waverly Earp, smiling at her from the front porch._

Not _exactly_ Waverly, yet..

The woman stood up and closed the distance between them.

"I _have_ changed, baby, but you're exactly as I remembered you."

Nicole felt her heart clench as she detected the gentle hint of lavender. Her heart gave the answer instantly even while her mind struggled.

"Waverly?"

Nicole cupped the shorter woman’s cheek softly and drew her closer. “Is that really you?” Waverly started ever so slightly when she drew closer, as though she couldn’t quite believe it.

"How did you get here?" Nicole prompted.

The woman shrugged. “My research has always been impeccable.”

Nicole stepped back as realization washed over her. "You came back to stop the ambush."

"Yes. This time I'm with you, like I should’ve been. It’s taken me years, but I’ve worked it out. This time I’ll have your back."

 


	2. Chapter 2

Nicole felt her heart sink as she met Waverly’s eye. The warm hazel green that she adored was nowhere to be seen, replaced instead by steely grey. She searched the face she knew so well, for the hint of the sweetness it always had.

"No. No, You were going to travel.." Nicole swallowed “You had so many plans, Wave.”

"I thought so, too." The smaller woman turned away and fiddled with the stitching of her coat. "After we broke the curse I even went away for some time. I tried really hard to enjoy it. But so much had happened, so much was ahead of us, I couldn’t get past it. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to do all those things. I wanted to do them with _you_."

_So much was ahead of us._

Nicole felt something shatter inside her, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. She took a step closer.

“But, this.. This can end up changing everything” she whispered. “We’ve seen what happens when people try that. You said you broke the curse, what if this undoes it?”

“Am I really worth that?” She whispered. “You shouldn’t have come.”

"I shouldn’t have had to bury you, either, Nicole." Her voice was flat and hard as she met Nicole's gaze once more.  "Wynonna had to drag me away- I was so hysterical. She tried to get me up, but I slipped.. On your blood.” Waverly’s voice broke.

She was staring at her hands, her mind still seeing the red that was no longer there.

“There was so much blood..” She repeated softly.

"Waverly..."

"I still remember. Everything.” She met Nicole’s gaze, her eyes wild. She rubbed Nicole’s wrists gently as though to soothe bruising there. She reached out a hand lightly touching a spot on Nicole's side, "...and a bullet wound here..." she touched the redhead's right shoulder, "... but the one that killed you was..”

"Wave.." Nicole caught Waverly's hand in her own and held it tightly. "Don't do this."

Waverly shuddered. Her voice cracked as she said, "And every time I closed my eyes I thought of you...I thought of our last time together. I couldn’t even remember if I told you that I loved you, that I-"

Nicole cut off the stream of words by pulling Waverly into a fierce embrace. She held firm, even when the body in her arms stiffened and tried to push her away with a brittle resistance to comfort. "Baby, it's over. I'm alive.” She rested her chin on top of the shorter woman’s head.” “I'm going to stay that way."

And she held firm when the trembling of Waverly's limbs signaled that her rigid control was shattering. Her sobs were dry, harsh, as much an outpouring of exhaustion and relief as they were of sorrow.

When the storm had passed, the woman that was cradled in Nicole's arms was no longer a stranger. The creases etched into her face had blurred into faint lines, just as the hardened muscles of her body had softened as she nestled against Nicole's chest. She felt Waverly take a deep breath as the arms around her waist tightened for a second.

Determined hazel looked up at her. “You should get some rest. I need to check on a few things.”

“Check what?” Nicole asked, softly. “Did something happen here?”

Waverly turned and got a notebook from her bag. “No, I’m pretty sure it didn’t.”

“Pretty sure?”

She flipped a few pages until she found what she was looking for. Nicole could see photographs of the room and the motel, and Waverly’s extensive notes all around the pictures.

“You weren’t- aren’t carrying a cell phone so BBD can’t track you. So we had to rely on the old-fashioned ways to figure it out.” Waverly frowned. “That’s why I came back to this time. We couldn’t figure out when you left, and I wanted to make sure I meet you.”

Nicole gave her a look “There are surveillance cameras up front. They aren’t anything hi-tech, but I’m sure.. ”

“They’re busted.” Waverly regarded her with a small smile. “I checked. And you paid the night before and left the keys in the room.” 

Nicole sighed. “Well.”

She eyed the notebook wearily. “You do seem to have thought of everything.”

“Yeah, and it’s all here.” She tapped her temple.

“This” she gestured to the notebook, “is more in case we need anything that’s not directly related.” She paused. “Or if you’d shot me before I had a chance to speak.”

“That’s not funny.”

Waverly shrugged. “I wasn’t coming all the way here without a backup plan just in case.”

“Waverly.” Nicole’s voice was hard, but Waverly ignored it.

“Baby, please.” Waverly stood. “I told you. I’ve worked it out.” She took her gun from the table and put it within reach from the seat on the table. She took Nicole’s hand and led her to the bed. “I’m sure you’re gonna have a long day ahead of you.” She pressed lips on the top of Nicole’s head, almost absently.

Nicole tightened her grip on the brunette’s hand. “So will you.”

She gestured at the bed. “There’s enough room for two.”

Waverly tried to let go. “No, Nicole, I need to..”

“We’ll be together. We’ll have our weapons. You said yourself that nothing happened here.”

Waverly looked at the closed door again.

Nicole took a deep breath. “You said it was an ambush, right?” She felt the smaller hand twitch inside hers. “Some of the rooms are occupied. If they were going to come here, guns blazing, the room would be trashed.”

Waverley frowned but didn’t say anything. It was obvious she was trying to play all the various scenarios in her head.

“Trust me.” Nicole said. “If I wanted to attack someone, I’d get them while they’re walking to the car. Easier to catch people off guard from behind.”

Nicole reached for Waverly’s other hand. “You look exhausted, baby.” She softly kissed the shorter woman’s hand.

She felt the brunette lean into the touch. Their eyes met, and Nicole hoped Waverly saw the comfort she so desperately wanted to convey.

Without another word, Waverly took the chair she was sitting on to the door and braced the door with it. “Just in case.”

Nicole smiled and grabbed Waverly’s getting a closer look as she put it down.

“That’s mine.” Nicolle said tested the still familiar grip.

Waverly nodded. “It’ll be easier for ballistics later.”

Nicole’s raised her eyebrows.

Waverly just shrugged off Nicole’s surprise. “We need to get some rest, yeah?”

Nicole wanted to say something but held her tongue. She walked over and got her gun, and checked the window one last time as Waverly settled into the bed.

Nicole got into the bed and let out a soft groan as she felt the stiff back finally relax. She drifted into fitful sleep. It wasn’t long after however, when she felt herself being lifted back into wakefulness. She felt eyes on her. 

She blinked to adjust her eyes to the dark and found Waverly sitting up leaning against the headboard, looking down at her.

“Sorry.” Waverly whispered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I just can’t believe you’re here.” She said as her voice cracked. “I just..”

She propped herself up using her elbow, taking Waverly’s hand into hers. “I know, Wave.”

The brunette’s eyes were stormy as she quickly closed the gap. Their lips met before Nicole registered what was happening. Her conscience urged her to pull back from the kiss, that Waverly was vulnerable, and somehow stop what was happening.

But it was Waverly who broke away first.

"I’m sorry. “ Waverly said, with a ragged gasp. Her voice was broken. "You’d asked me once.. But I’m.. I’m not you- that Waverly anymore. I'm not the--"

Nicole pressed a finger to Waverly's lips to stop her confession. "Baby, you've loved me past death. Do you really think I can't love you in life?" And she knew that nothing could keep her from trying sooth the pain that was alight in Waverly's eyes. Nicole closed the gap this time, drawing Waverly in what she hoped was a consoling kiss. She felt smaller hands in her hair as Waverly shakily drew them closer together. They separated a few heartbeats later to catch their breaths, and Nicole could already see some of the peace returning.

They lay there in silence for a few minutes, Waverly running her fingers through her hair. She turned to Nicole, hesitance clear in her voice. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah?” Nicole said, her heart sinking. She had a really good idea what she was about to be asked, but she had a feeling Waverly needed to set the pace for this.

“So, after..” she stopped for a moment before going on. “After. I found something at your place.”

“Yeah?” Nicole repeated again.

"You didn’t doubt my answer, right? Mr. Zeller told me you bought it months ago.. You knew I’d say yes, in a heartbeat right?"

With a soft sigh, Nicole replied. "Yes, I knew." She took Waverly’s hand in her own.

“At first, I just wanted to be sure you were ready. I didn’t want to rush you into anything.”

"And after that?"

Nicole looked away. “I saw your travel notebook one day. You know, where you’ve written up all the places you wanted to go. All the things you wanted to do..”

Nicole took a steadying breath. “I wasn’t sure getting tied down to a small town cop was the best thing for you to do all of that. You’re so young, Wave..”  She said. "I don’t want to hold you back."

"How about you let me make my own decisions?” Waverly whispered. “We would’ve figured something out.” Waverly’s gaze was piercing. “You just needed to ask.”

Nicole could only nod. She closed her eyes and sighed. Waverly then closed the gap once more and found an all too familiar spot on Nicole’s shoulder.

“Is this okay?” Waverly asked, her voice small.

Nicole felt the prickle of tears as she tucked the brunette’s head under her chin. An action Nicole had done a hundred times before.

“Hmm.”

She smiled and finally drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around, hope y'all like it. The story is mostly done, so I'm planning to update every couple of days!
> 
> Up next, we get into the action!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, thanks so much for the all the comments and kudos! This is my first time writing anything, and your comments mean a lot! :)

_Waverly felt a soft kiss on the top of her head as she woke. She was surprisingly comfortable for where she had fallen asleep, on the front porch in the middle of Fall. Then she noticed the blanket covering her. She looked up to see Wynonna eyeing her with concern. Waverly reached past her, grabbing her glass from the table. She took a swig._

_“Alice missed you at dinner again.”_

_Waverly shrugged. “Must’ve dozed off.” She sat up as she rubbed her eyes. Her head was killing her._

_She took a swig._

_“Dozed off or passed out?” Waverly sighed in response but still didn’t look at her sister. She was tired. Tired of the guilt in Wynonna’s eyes. Tired of ignoring the gaping hole in her soul. Just this once she wanted to give in and fall into the abyss._

_She took a swig._

_Wynonna frowned, but slid a folder towards her. She looked at the yellowed paper and dog-eared and her stomach dropped with recognition._

_She knew her voice sounded harsh. “You said you threw it away.”_

_“Wave..” Wynonna’s voice was soft, yet determined. “I showed Jeremy this while you were away. He said you have some pretty good stuff here. He added some stuff too..” Wynonna trailed off._

_Waverly knew her eyes were blazing. “What happened to ‘live my life’?”_

_“Well, you seem to be doing a hell of a job with that.” Wynonna whispered as she eyed the glass. “Are you planning to finish Doc’s entire whiskey shipment by yourself? You seem to be getting closer each time.”_

_Waverly grit her teeth._

_“We broke the curse. I saw the ocean. I travelled all over Europe. I babysit Alice when you’re off demon hunting.” She fought to keep her voice level. “What more do you want Wynonna?”  She drained her glass, the tightness in her throat making the whiskey burn even hotter._

_Wynonna stood up, the file still limply at her side._

_“You.”_

_She put the file on the table next to them._

_“Get her back, Wave.” Her voice broke. “So **I** can get you back.”_

**

“So, what’s the plan?” Nicole asked as she saw the last of the houses of the little town fall away behind her. They had managed to get through the night in peace, and got to their car without any trouble.

“What do you mean?” Waverly turned to look at her from the seat next to her.

“Should I take another road?”

“There is no _other_ road. This is literally the only road we can take to get to where we want to go” Waverly said. “Besides, we can’t deviate too much from your plan. I don’t know what will happen in case we change things too much. I just know what did happen.”

“Okay. I’m just going to stay the highway until the exit.”

Waverly flipped the pages of her notebook again which was now in her lap.

“Okay. That works.”

Nicole sighed. “Wave, just tell me what you know. This half knowledge.. It’s making me nervous.”

Waverly frowned. “Based on where we found.. the car…” She swallowed. “And how much gas was left in the tank, there’s a 78 mile stretch of the highway towards the end that seems to be the most likely area.” 

“You know how much gas was left?” she said impressed.  

“More or less.” Waverly said. “I tried to get a more accurate measurements, since there are like three ways we can get there, but..” Waverly gave her a tight smile, returned her gaze out the window.

Nicole tried to say something, but her companion was very clearly distracted. So, they drove on in silence. Waverly pulled her legs closer to her as she leaned on the window staring out. Nicole saw her fingers thread through the gold chain, which seemed to be a nervous habit Waverly had picked up.

Nicole swallowed, her eyes on the ring. The knot in her stomach tightening again.

“Wave?” Nicole asked, “Could I have done something to make it more bearable?”

Waverly turned to her, startled at the unexpected question.

“Talked to me?” she swallowed. “I didn’t need anything big. I thought about how you were those last few months. I didn’t know whether I’d given you a reason to doubt me.” She looked away.

“Never.”

“Well, you’ll have a second chance now.” Waverly smiled, but fought to keep the bitterness from her voice. “You’ll have a second chance if it’s the last thing I..

“What’s gonna happen if we do this?”

“We change the timeline and you won’t die.” Waverly replied. “And we’ll probably break the curse faster.”

Nicole gave her a look of disbelief.

“It took us months to recover.” Waverly said. “Months to regroup.”

Nicole wanted to interrupt, but Waverly shook her head. She remained silent for a few moments longer before speaking.

"Baby...this was the right thing for me to do. Remember that."

"What.."

"No," said the smaller woman with a shake of her head, "I can't explain now. Just remember."

With a troubled frown, Nicole said, "All right."

 “It’s coming up.” Waverly nodded towards the road. “It’s coming up in the next few miles.”

“Okay.” Nicole said softly.

As the stretch of road they were driving on narrowed out into two lanes, Nicole felt a peculiar tightness in her chest. She straightened instantly and scanned the mirrors looking for danger her body already felt.

Waverly noticed the change. "What’s wrong?"

"I’m not sure yet.” Their eyes met. “Keep your eyes open."

Waverly nodded, eyes cooling to steely grey. She absently gripped the gun in her boot as she looked around. As the car drove down the road, Waverly pointed to the far right, noticing something in the bushes.

“There!”

Nicole spotted a glint of metal in the trees down the road. Two cars screeched into the road, emerging from a secluded dirt path a few meters ahead of them, rapidly closing the distance between them.

“Shit.” Nicole muttered under her breath. She quickly scanned the road for a way out, but realized the next pullout was probably going to be past the two cars coming barreling towards them. She needed to think quick.

“Hang on!” she yelled as she swerved sharply right, off the embankment onto the field bordering the road. For a second the dust blown up by the engine obscured their view completely, but Nicole managed to keep the car going in the direction that they wanted. She gunned the engine blowing a larger plume of dirt and debris into the air and rapidly passed the two cars and swerved again to get back on the road.

Waverly sat beside her, face impassive, but her hand was firmly on her gun now.

Nicole gripped the steering wheel, and focused on putting as much distance between them and the other two cars as possible. Her intense concentration was shattered seconds later by Waverly’s gruff yell and shove.

"Get down!"

A brief second later, the back window of the car shattered, showering them with glass. They heard a clang, the bullet clearly hitting the car this time.

“Shit.” Nicole whispered as she heard another crack. There was a stab of pain in her shoulder which Nicole ignored. The car swerved widely to the right. “Hold her steady.” Waverly cried as she quickly unbuckled and slid into the back seat. There was a loud crack as she returned fire.

“Waves!” she cried. “Can we not have fire fight here? There’s people around!” she eyed a few cars pulled off the road and for a brief second met the terrified gaze of one of the passengers.

“They started it. I’m just trying to end it!” Waverly yelled back as she took cover from more gunfire.

Nicole frowned, but spotted a narrow road curving off the highway. It looked narrow and twisting, but she felt sure she would have the advantage over her pursuers here. “Okay, we need to take this somewhere private.” She cried as she floored the gas again.

Her ears ringing as Waverly returned fire again, Nicole concentrated on keeping the car on the road.

“This is stupid!” Waverly yelled as Nicole heard the zipper of her pack being undone. A second later, there was an almost deafening boom and Nicole caught a quick glimpse of one of the trucks swerving and hitting the other truck in the cracked rearview mirror.

“Well, I think I took one of them out.” Waverly called from the back seat as she pumped her shotgun.

“What are the odds that they’ll leave us alone?” Nicole asked.

“Slim to none?” Waverly whispered as her teeth chattered slightly at the cold air now rushing through the car.

“Hmm.” Nicole muttered. She eyed the dash. “Not to worry you or anything, but we seem to be losing fuel.”

“What?”

Nicole gestured to the fuel gauge. “We’re losing more fuel than we should. I think there’s a leak.”

Waverly scrambled back to the front seat as she looked at the gauge. She bit her bottom lip. “Well, we’ll just keep going until we can’t.”

Nicole nodded as she turned her attention back to the road. They drove on, for another a few kilometers when Nicole turned to her companion. “It’ll help if we knew where we were going.” She prodded. “I have some in my pack, but does that notebook of yours have maps?”

Waverly seemed to shrink almost imperceptibly as she mumbled something.

“What’s that Wave? I didn’t catch that.” Nicole said. “Just squeeze back and get my pack. They should be in one of the side pockets.”

Waverly’s shoulders were still slumped, but she was louder. “I said, we don’t need a map. I know where we’re going.”

She raised her head to meet Nicole’s eye and for a brief moment the world seemed to slip away. The air between them seemed rarer somehow. She swallowed.

“It's the same road, huh?”

“Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, the conclusion will update in a couple of days. 
> 
> As always comments/ suggestions welcome! :)


	4. Chapter 4

“I don’t understand.” Waverly said softly. “It’s like it’s compensating.”

She ran a nervous hand through her hair.

“Hey.” Nicole’s voice was gentle. “Like you said.. We’ll just keep going until we can’t.”

Waverly frowned and looked away. Nicole turned her attention back to the road.

“So, I think we need to address our gas situation.” Waverly said after a tense few minutes of silence. “Any ideas?”

Nicole considered the question for a moment. “We need to level the playing field somehow.”

Waverly nodded. “There’s a hiker’s path up ahead. No way a truck can go down there.”

“Let’s set up an ambush of our own.”

Following Waverly’s directions, they drove on until she saw a dirt path leading into the woods.  Quickly pulling over, they grabbed their packs and made a beeline for the trees. 

As Nicole put the pack on the floor she saw Waverly look at the bloody strap, and look at the corresponding shoulder. Torn and red at the sleeve.

Waverly dropped her pack and closed the distance immediately, grabbing hold of Nicole’s arm.

“You’re hurt.” Waverly said, trying to stifle the note of panic in her voice.

Nicole took the shorter woman’s hands in her own. “It’s just a graze, I promise you.”

“I need to look at it.” 

“There isn’t much time.” Nicole replied. “We need to get ready before they come.”

Waverly freed her hands. Hazel cooling to grey again. “I have the supplies. We are going to take care of it.”

Nicole realized the pointlessness of the exchange. They didn’t have the time to argue anyway.

Resting on a boulder in the undergrowth, she silently undid her jacket and shirt and exposed the shoulder. She felt soft, tentative hands examine the wound.  She saw Waverly fishing in her pack to get the things she needed.

Shaky hands wiped the blood away as Nicole tried to hold steady without wincing. The sting of antiseptic was quickly chased by soothing ointment. Waverly put adhesive bandages to cover the wound.

Nicole turned around once she was done and put her shirt and coat back on. She saw Waverly still looking at her, biting her bottom lip.

“It should be okay for now. But when you get back, you need to get this looked at.”

“Wave..” Nicole sighed, knowing the implication of the location of the wound. “Whatever happens, I need you to know..”

Waverly’s flashed. “No.” she interrupted and leaned away from Nicole.

“When you _get back_ , you need to get this looked at.” Her voice harsher this time.

Nicole swallowed. “Wave..”

“This” she gestured between them, “doesn’t mean anything. Telling _me_ doesn’t mean anything.”

“ _No_ , Nicole Haught.” 

Nicole felt her throat close.

She tried to reply, they were interrupted by a soft drone of and engine in the distance. The sound grew louder, signaling the approaching truck. Nicole felt drawn into stormy hazel for a brief moment, before nodded to her companion.

“Be safe.” Waverly whispered, as she tucked one of Nicole’s stray locks behind her ear. Nicole kissed her hand.

“You too.”

They saw the driver spot their battered car, and slow down to take stock of the situation. The pair aimed, and Nicole managed to hit the driver in the chest, and saw him slump forward. Waverly took out one of the guys riding in the cab. They saw a glint of metal as they ducked behind a tree as a hail of bulled flew towards their general direction.

“Nine, I think.” Nicole whispered. “I counted nine more atleast.”

Waverly nodded as she put another magazine in her gun.  Within minutes they saw the men closing in on them. Poised back to back, they cut down everyone who approached them. Alone, Nicole would have been overwhelmed, but together she and Waverly held their ground.

She smiled grimly as several of their bullets found their intended marks, with their attackers going down almost instantly. Nicole kept her finger on the trigger, feeling the weapon vibrate repeatedly and grow hot in her hands.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a man aiming at her from behind. Realizing she was out of bullets, Nicole dropped her gun and rushed at him. She tackled him by his middle and grabbed his weapon and before shooting him. 

Looking up, Nicole caught sight of a man Waverly had disarmed earlier come charging towards her again. The shorter woman easily side-stepped his blow shooting him in the knee.

"Look out!" cried Waverly suddenly.

Nicole regained her focus just in time to duck out of the way out of hail of bullets. In a single fluid motion, Waverly shot Nicole’s attacker.

She yelled over her shoulder. "Stop worrying about me. I can take care of myself." And proved it by doubling back and making short work of the man sprawled on the ground clutching his knee.

Nicole shot two men coming from the left, and suddenly there was ear-ringing silence. The pair looked around.

"Well, it looks like we've made it," said Nicole with a gasp of relief.

Waverly shook her head. Her body was still tensed, her finger still on the trigger. "It’s not over yet. You aren't safe yet."

"But we've run out of anyone to fight." Nicole gestured at the men spread out around them.

"Not yet..." With a troubled frown, Waverly scanned their surroundings before whirling around towards the truck. She shot instantly and Nicole heard the clatter of a gun falling to the floor. She saw the driver, who she’d assumed was dead falling to the ground.

Waverly cried out with triumph, "That was it! That was the last of them!”

“How can you be sure?” Nicole said.

"I just...know." Waverly's face contorted as if in pain. "Nicole..."

Nicole made it just in time, catching her as she fell. She seemed lighter, almost ethereal.

Waverly reached out for her, but when her fingers closed around cheek, she felt no pressure. She couldn't even feel the touch of the hand on her bare skin. "Waverly? What's happening?"

"I'm fading," Waverly said in a hoarse whisper. "This time you survive. So the woman who buried you doesn't exist anymore." Her image rippled like a flag in the wind.

"We changed the timeline."

"NO!"

_I love you._ Soft laughter.  _At least I got to say it this time._

The words echoed in Nicole's mind, not in the air. She was alone.

She was alone.

Nicole sank to her knees not even bothering to wipe her tears.

^^

Nicole felt relief bloom in her chest as she finally caught sight of the cabin. It  her girlfriend was keeping a tense lookout, since the door flew open as soon as she cleared the tree line. She saw Waverly dart out of the door, with Doc was close at her heels.

As they drew closer, however, she saw Waverly hesitate and stop a few paces away. Nicole saw the younger Earp scanning her for injuries, but otherwise remained motionless.

Doc hastened to close the gap to get Nicole’s bag and gave her a relieved smile.

“Glad to have you back, officer Haught.”

Nicole smiled.

“I’ll take care of this.” He waved her bag. “Dinner is hot and ready for you.” He looked at Waverly who was again rooted to the spot.

Nicole met his gaze and he cleared his throat and gave them some space to walk back together. She approached her girlfriend; she could see Waverly try to steady her breathing.

Her voice still quavered. “I was wondering when you'd show up."

"Sorry baby, ran into some trouble. The truck I ‘borrowed’ ran out of gas. Had to walk the rest of the way.”

Waverly stepped back as she took in Nicole’s hunched shoulders and stiff back.

“You’re hurt.”

“It’s just a graze.”

Nicole felt the shorter woman’s gaze on her, probably taking in her puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks.

She raised her hand to Nicole’s cheek, seemingly to wipe away her already dried ears.

Waverly stroked her cheek, like she had done a million times before.

Nothing had changed..

But nothing was the same..

As she felt Waverly’s warm hand on her cheek, she felt the veil of tension that had fallen between them for months now- finally lift. Waverly must’ve felt it too, and Nicole found herself falling into the electrified hazel.

She saw Waverly tried to turn away, the moment seemingly broken, but Nicole just pulled her closer. She drew Waverly into a bruising kiss. After what seemed like eternity, the pair separated.

 Nicole smiled, seeking reassurance as much as offering comfort.

“You know I love you, right?”

She felt the weight of Waverly’s gaze on her. Nodding, she hugged Nicole again, and she felt the younger woman's body relax. She heard Waverly whisper,

"I was so afraid you weren't coming back."

Nicole sensed she wasn’t only talking about the last few days. She kissed the brunette’s head tucked into her shoulder.

She caught sight of Wynonna making disgusted faces towards them even as Doc was trying to hush her.

“And miss this party?” Nicole chuckled as she nodded towards the cabin. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

She felt Waverly’s arm wrap around her for support. She gladly took it, leaning into the smaller woman. As they made their way closer to the cabin, their eyes met again.

In the warm glow of the cabin, Nicole swore she saw a flash of the now familiar grey for a second before they warmed back to hazel.

“You better not.” Waverly whispered. “Or I’ll track you down. You're not getting away that easy.”

Nicole smiled, thinking of a small velvet lined box tucked in her dresser.

“For that, I’ll always be grateful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos y'all. I really appreciate each and every one of them. It's given me confidence to explore writing a little more. 
> 
> Thank you. You guys are the best.

**Author's Note:**

> More coming in a couple of days probably 
> 
> Let me know what y'all think. Comments/ suggestions are always welcome! 
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr as @lostbecoz


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